A first-of-its-kind medical study has provided proof that air pollution is responsible for cognitive defects in children under the age of two years – the latest to show an association between air quality and human health.
Based on the findings, researchers from the University of East Anglia, Durham University and Brown University, who collaborated with the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, warned that without action, the negative impact on children’s long-term brain development may have consequences for life.
Lead researcher John Spencer said: “Prior work has shown that poor air quality is linked to cognitive deficits in children, as well as to emotional and behavioural problems, which can have a severe impact on families.
“Very small particulate fragments in the air are a major concern as they can move from the respiratory tract into the brain,” he added.
“Until now, studies had failed to show a link between poor air quality and cognitive problems in babies, when brain growth is at its peak and the brain may be particularly sensitive to toxins. Our study is the first to show this association”.
The study
The researchers, as part of the project partly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, worked with families from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in Shivgarh, a rural community in Uttar Pradesh – one of the states severely hurt by poor air quality.
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They assessed the visual working memory and visual processing speed of 215 infants using a specially designed cognition task from October 2017 to June 2019.
On one display, the tots were shown flashing, coloured squares that were always the same after each blink. On a second display, one coloured square changed after each blink.
According to Spencer, this task capitalises on an infant's tendency to look away from something that’s visually familiar and towards something new.
“We were interested in whether infants could detect the changing side and how well they did as we made the task harder by including more squares on each display.”
The team used air quality monitors in the children’s homes to measure emission levels and air quality. They also took into account the family socio-economic status.
“This research shows for the first time that there is an association between poor air quality and impaired visual cognition in the first two years of life, when brain growth is at its peak,” said Spencer.
“Such impacts could carry forward across years, negatively impacting long-term development.
Need for better policies
Independent experts, citing the findings, stressed the need for better air quality regulations and policies, particularly in urban areas where air pollution is rife.
“It is important for parents to take measures to protect their children's health by limiting their exposure to air pollution,” said Dr Nitin Verma, director of the paediatrics department in Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital in New Delhi.
This, he said, can be achieved by using air purifiers at home, avoiding heavily polluted areas and promoting green transportation such as walking or biking.
Ultimately, it is crucial for everyone to take responsibility for reducing air pollution levels to protect the health of future generations, Verma added.
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